Four held over 'defamatory' remarks targeting PM's defence adviser's wife

Police have arrested four people in connection with a case filed over allegedly posting defamatory and obscene content on social media targeting the wife of the Prime Minister's Defence Adviser, retired Brigadier General AKM Shamsul Islam.

The arrested are Mamun Laskar Sarker, Omar Faruk Robin (Robin Taj), Zainal Abedin Manik and Helal Uddin.

Police said Manik and Helal are currently on remand for questioning.

The case was filed on July 2 under the Cyber Security Act by Nur Mohammad, personal officer to the Prime Minister's Defence Adviser, with Gulshan Police Station. The complaint names the four suspects and lists 10 to 12 unidentified individuals as additional accused.

Daud Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Gulshan Police Station, said, "The four were arrested in separate raids conducted in Dhaka, Cumilla and Chattogram."

Mamun and Robin were arrested on the night the case was filed and later produced before a court. Manik and Helal were arrested on Saturday and sent to court on Sunday, where the court granted four days' remand for Manik and two days' remand for Helal, the OC said.

Police also plan to seek remand for Mamun and Robin and are continuing efforts to identify and arrest other suspects linked to the case.

According to the case statement, the accused allegedly used their Facebook profiles, groups, pages and Telegram channels to publish and circulate "false, obscene and defamatory" content targeting the defence adviser's wife. Investigators claim the posts were later shared widely across multiple online platforms.

Police said another accused, Jewel Rana, remains absconding and efforts are underway to arrest him.

The complainant, Nur Mohammad, declined to comment when contacted by reporters.